The Reality Chronicles, by Kirei Blossom
by Wish-Chan
Summary: Fanfic of the fanfic 'The New Trials of Cardcaptor Sakura, Syaoran and Friends' by Wish-chan/Wishluv. The premise for this little ficlet is that New Trials is a long-running successful television drama. A documentary is being filmed to cover the success of the show and to get some behind-the-scenes tidbits to captivate the viewers.


**The Reality Chronicles**

**~*A Glimpse Behind the Scenes*~**

A Fanfiction of a Fanfiction

Written by Kirei Blossom

Disclaimer: This is NOT a part of New Trials. All characters belong to Wish-chan or CLAMP.

Note: The premise for this little ficlet is that New Trials is a long-running successful television drama. A documentary is being filmed to cover the success of the show and to get some behind-the-scenes tidbits to captivate the viewers. Obviously, the cast would have different names from their on-screen characters, but this fic ignores that aspect to avoid confusion.

-/-/-/-/-/-

"Ah, no wait don't start recording- hoeeee! Too late" Sakura lamented, blinking at the camera pointed at her, holding a cordless microphone.

Recovering quickly, Sakura smiled at the camera and spoke into the microphone. "Welcome to all our viewers. You guys know me as Kinomoto Sakura from the New Trials of CardCaptor Sakura and Friends." She stepped back and waved her arm towards the entranceway to a grand building. "And here we are, right now, standing outside one of the sets of New Trials. We've been promising you a closer look behind the scenes for quite a while now, and here we are at last." Bashfully, Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry it took so long to make an appointment that could work for all of us, but please, let's go inside!"

Sakura led the way into the building and the camera followed her. Sakura walked into the middle of a large room, where various lighting and sound equipment was set up everywhere. Groups of people bustled here and there, shouting directions to each other and adjusting an array of wiring and cables. Ignoring the chaos around her, Sakura asked, "Does this room look familiar? Yes, it's a place we visit frequently in our show – this is the study of the Reed mansion."

"Oh, are our guests here already?" a gentle voice called out. "Welcome to our set."

"Tomoyo-chan!" The camera panned to include Tomoyo and Miho into the shot. Sakura wrapped an arm around Tomoyo's arm as she spoke into the mike, "Here's our super-talented Tomoyo-chan, I'm sure everyone knows her already. And..—"

"And I'm Miho, of course" Miho interjected, her gray eyes twinkling. "We're always so busy, it's not everyday we get to film an interview footage. I'm excited."

"Miho-chan…" Tomoyo nudged her.

"Ah, sorry," Miho bowed her head. "I mean, welcome to the set of New Trials. Please make yourself at home!"

"Have they met the others yet?" Tomoyo questioned.

Sakura shook her head. "No, they just arrived, in fact."

There were some shouts from the crew members around them as they adjusted some lighting boards and sidestepped around the group.

"It's too noisy here. Should we move to the lounge?" Sakura asked Tomoyo.

"You go on ahead. We'll catch up later."

"Okay. Please, Interviewer-san, Videographer-san, this way." Sakura walked down a nearby hallway to another large spacious room comfortably furnished with couches and cozy armchairs. The room was fairly empty, with only Meilin, Kai, Eriol and Syaoran talking and joking around. As soon as they saw Sakura along with the camera crew, they fell silent.

"What? We agreed to do this interview naturally!" Sakura exclaimed. The others quickly made way for the guests and the camera positioned itself in the corner with a good view of the room.

"We're dedicating the video to Wish-chan, right?" Meilin blinked up at the camera, tugging at her pigtail.

"So we better behave ourselves," Eriol smiled politely.

Kai leaned back proudly, "For Wish-chan? I'll do anything for Wish-chan!"

"So he says," muttered Meilin.

Sakura looked around as she sat down next to the others. "Where are Eron-kun and Erika-chan?"

"Filming their scene upstairs in the Chang living room," Syaoran answered.

"So we've heard tomorrow is going to be your 300th episode telecast." the Interviewer commented from off-camera. "Congratulations. New Trials has been this huge phenomenon, everyone's talking about it. But tell us something about the beginning – did you all know each other before working together?"

Everyone exchanged smiles. Meilin answered, "Most of us met on the sets of our last project – Card Captor Sakura—"

"—That's right," Sakura nodded. "That was years ago! In the beginning of Card Captor Sakura it was just me and Tomoyo and Syaoran."

"Those were the good peaceful days," Syaoran recalled wistfully. "Then Meilin made her debut, and Eriol entered when we started the third season."

"A couple years after CCS, New Trials started, and the rest of the cast started joining in after that." Eriol explained.

"Right," Kai fiddled with the rings around his fingers. "I didn't join until the second season of New Trials. But it's been a blast since then."

Meilin blinked at him with wide eyes.

Sakura blurted out. "Yes, with Kai-kun around things have been, quite…" she exchanged looks with Syaoran.

"Interesting?"

"You could call it that. And here's another one of our cast members." Sakura reached over to a shelf full of knick-knacks and small props and pulled out a yellow stuffed doll with wings. "Meet Kero-chan! I wish he was real – I love how they created him on the show. But unfortunately, he's only computer graphics and special effects. Aya-san comes in once or twice a week to do his voice dubbing. I'm a big fan of hers."

"Hello everyone," Kara entered into the lounge, carrying a large bag.

"What's in the bag?" Kai curiously peeked in. "Is it food?"

Kara slapped his hand away. "Since I had yesterday evening off, I decided to make some brownies." She pulled out a large tray covered with foil.

"All right!" Kai pumped his fist in the air. "We need to talk to the management to give you more evenings off more often."

"Mm.. these are really good!" Meilin commented, biting into one. "You have to give me your recipe, Kara-senpai."

Sakura was still cuddling the Kero-doll. "Poor Kero-chan, he wants some too."

"Well, it's a good thing he's _not_ real," Kai said with his mouth full. "Otherwise there'd be nothing left for us."

"Hey, there's food here!" a new voice called out. A hand reached out and grabbed a couple brownies from the tray.

"Onii-chan! Yukito-san!" Sakura exclaimed.

Yukito waved back merrily. "We've been shooting hospital scenes at the other location since 6am."

"I'm beat," Touya stated, gobbling up the brownie. "I think I'll head back home now."

Sakura offered the brownies to Yukito. "Yukito-san, here, try some. Kara-senpai made them so they're really good."

Hesitantly, Yukito broke off a small piece. "Um.. I don't really feel all that hungry. We had scenes in the hospital cafeteria, and you know how it is…"

Sakura gave a little laugh. "Your character and you are such different people!" Turning to the camera, Sakura continued. "Anyone who watches the drama would never believe it, but Yukito-san's a really picky eater."

"It's not that." Yukito smiled sheepishly. "All my scenes have me surrounded with so much food, and all those re-takes… I usually eat my day's quota right there."

"And whatever's left, we make sure to finish it up with pride." Kai boasted.

A little while later, the various cast members had moved on to their respective shoots. Sakura and Syaoran had wrapped up their scene early morning, so they had some free time and had agreed to continue on with the interview. Tomoyo had joined them and they sat side by side on the couch, pondering over the question of what their take was on the success of New Trials.

"We owe it to our fabulous team," Tomoyo answered. "We have a dedicated and talented cast and the crew works really hard."

"It's because Wish-chan, the owner of our production company is really good at what she does," Sakura clapped her hands.

Syaoran cleared his throat. "Also, our viewers have given us a lot of support over the years."

"And let's not forget our directors." Sakura placed a hand on Tomoyo's shoulder.

The interviewer commented from off-screen. "Tomoyo-san directs as well?"

"We have a team of directors," Tomoyo explained. "Different directors work on the different scenes. As Assistant Director I direct some scenes which I'm not a part of. And of course, for the really important scenes, Wish-chan comes down herself to direct and supervise."

"Any memorable moments during your shoots which you would like to share?" the interviewer asked.

Sakura and Syaoran exchanged looks.

"Hoe…"

"This season, we weren't too good with rain scenes." Syaoran muttered.

"The cliff scene, right?" Sakura elaborated. "Where I was attacked by the Veil and lost my eyesight, and then I stumble around and nearly fall off a cliff. But then.."

Syaoran's ears turned red.

"That was your fault." Sakura whispered.

"How was it my fault?" Syaoran asked aghast.

"Ohohoho. Maybe we should just let them see for themselves." Tomoyo smiled.

/Pre-recorded clip 1 start/

Heavy rain pelted down and the wind lashed Sakura's face as she stumbled through the woods. It was nighttime, and without her eyesight Sakura had gotten lost in the mountains. "Tomoyo-chan! Naoko-chan! Rika-chan!" she called out desperately.

There was a clap of thunder and lightning forked through the sky. Letting out a muffled scream, Sakura started running blindly in one direction, slipping and sliding in the mud. "Onii-chan! Otou-san! Yue-san! Kero-chan!" With a thundering crash a tree collapsed over her path.

And then the name which she hadn't spoken for so long burst forth. "Syaoran! Syaoran! SYAORAN!" Blind to her surroundings, Sakura's feet slipped straight off the end of the ledge. Desperately she reached out and grabbed a stone embedded at the edge of the cliff, slippery from wetness. She clung to the cliff, trying to hold on. The sound of the rapids roaring nearby echoed throughout the forest. If she fell, she would be swept away by the current and smashed against the boulders.

Suddenly there was a movement from the edge of the forest. Drenched in the rain, a figure ran up to the edge of the cliff, slipping and sliding on the muddy ground. He neared the cliff and stretched out his hand towards Sakura.

"Wa—Waaaaaaah!" There was a yell, a crash and then silence.

"Cut!" A voice sounded through the forest. Instantly the giant water showers turned off and lights turned on. The camera panned out. Sakura was dangling from a cliff only a few meters high. It was merely a prop cliff used for shooting. And there on the ground next to her feet, Syaoran was sprawled facedown in the mud.

"Oh no! Syaoran!" Jumping down lightly, Sakura reached for the prone figure. "Are you hurt? Are you all right?"

A muffled groan answered her weakly.

"Oh dear…" Tomoyo rushed closer to the pair. "How did this happen?"

Slowly Syaoran balanced himself on his elbows and sat up. "Owww.."

"You were supposed to save me, not fall off yourself." Sakura pointed out.

Syaoran scowled, "I know!" He heaved himself out of the mud to his feet and examined himself covered in mud from head to toe. Miserably, he said. "Tomoyo, did we have to make the ground so slippery?! Anyone coming to save Sakura would fall down to their own death first."

One of the crew members added, "I did say we were adding in too much mud."

Sakura was wiping Syaoran's face with a handkerchief. "Well, nothing seems to be broken. Should we get ready for a re-take, Tomoyo-chan?"

Tomoyo was surveying Syaoran. "We can't. Syaoran-kun's supposed to be a lot cleaner when he comes to save you." She gave a funny little sigh. "And I wanted to get this scene over with today. But looks like we'll have to postpone that until Syaoran-kun takes a bath and gets cleaned up."

"Great, just great…" Syaoran muttered angrily as Sakura led him away. "There better be some hot water left!"

/Pre-recorded clip 1 end/

Back at the lounge, the camera zoomed on Syaoran's ears, which were still red, as Sakura giggled quietly.

"Don't look so smug." Syaoran muttered. "As if your rain scene was any better."

"At least I didn't fall off the cliff!"

"Yes but we still had to do all those retakes over and over because of your—"

"All right," Tomoyo calmed them down. "No need to argue. Let's play the clip, shall we?"

/Pre-recorded clip 2 start/

Freezing rain fell from the sky as Syaoran stepped out of the Eitoukou school building. He buttoned his coat, squinting through the downpour. He didn't have an umbrella. He saw the silhouette of a girl in a sky-blue blazer stagger towards him with a halo of white around her from the rain.

"Hey-" Syaoran called out. "Kinomoto-san?"

Sakura looked up, her short, limp brown hair clinging to her face. She was breathing hard, as if she had run all the way.

"Wait," Syaoran frowned. "Are you crying? Sa-Kinomoto-san?"

"Don't touch me," she snapped.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura, looked up at him square in the eyes, her emerald eyes flashing. "Syaoran, why did you.. you.. ah.. ah.. ACHOOO!"

"Cut!" The director called. "Try again from where you left off. Action."

Sakura looked up again angrily, drenched in rain. "Syaoran, why.. ah.. ah.. ACHOO!"

"Cut."

Sakura's face flushed, "Oops, sorry, it's this water from the showers."

"No problem," the director said. "Make your expression more fierce. There, let's try again. Action."

But Sakura was completely unable to speak. She sneezed one, two, three times in a row. Her eyes were watering. "Hoeeeee, gomen nasai! This is supposed to be a serious scene, but I'm ruining it." She sneezed once more.

Syaoran pulled her under the extended roof of the school building, where they were shielded from the rain, and put a supporting arm around her. She was shivering. He called out to the director, "We can't continue like this, she's freezing!"

Sakura sneezed once more for confirmation.

The director shouted a few orders. The water showers turned off, and the lights of the set switched back on. Tomoyo, who was watching from the sidelines, hurried over with a towel and wrapped it around Sakura.

"Come, let's get you changed," Tomoyo consoled, leading her back to the dressing room.

/Pre-recorded clip 2 end/

Now Sakura's ears were a matching red similar to Syaoran's. "Hau, okay I admit it. Both of us completely ruined those two serious scenes. But they turned out alright in the end and that's what matters, right? The cliff scene and the school rain scene both turned out to be some of the most memorable and popular parts in the episodes."

"I don't see how your despising me was popular in any form." Syaoran muttered under his breath.

"Yes, but it's good story-telling," Sakura explained. "It keeps the viewers hooked, wanting to see what happens next."

"Wish-chan is rather a genius at the dramatic scenes," Tomoyo stated.

The other two nodded in agreement.

Next, the interviewers had located Eron and Erika, curled on the couch, busy playing a racing game on Eron's phone. Erika was tilting the phone and screaming every few seconds. It looked like Kara had given them each a share of brownie, which was still sitting untouched in front of them on small paper plates.

"Don't crash!" Eron grimaced at the screen.

"Aaahh," Erika screeched, swerving to the side as if she was really driving. "What? I'm still alive! How am I still alive?"

"Watch out for that van-" Too late. There was a crashing sound and Eron groaned.

"Nooo," Erika let out a wail. "I wanted to beat your high score."

"You can't beat my high score." Then the two noticed the camera.

"Hi" Erika waved, putting the phone down. She crossed her legs and adjusted her skirt. "I was just about to completely cream Eron."

Eron rolled his eyes. "She didn't even get past the first level."

As the interview started, the interviewer asked from off-camera, "So what's it like playing twins in the popular series New Trials?"

"It's great." Erika nibbled on her brownie. "I'm actually an only child, so this role has given me a lot of perspective on what's it like having a sibling." She playfully wrapped her arm around Eron's arm. "And I found my onii-chan here! Of course Eron isn't much impressed, since he already has a sister. But you should hear him going on about how cheesy our relationship sometime gets."

Well, it's true." Eron brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Obviously, it makes for good television viewing, but in reality, I know I wouldn't really go around saying things like 'We'll always be together.' Or 'we'll always have each other, no matter what.'

"Don't mind him. He's just embarrassed, that's all."

The interviewer continued, "And how's it like playing the villains?"

Eron and Erika exchanged amused looks. "Are we even the villains anymore?" Eron asked. "I think for quite some time the Li Clan and Leiyun have stolen that spot from us."

Erika had finished her brownie by now, and was wistfully eyeing Eron's untouched piece. "I don't want to get my hopes up, but something tells me we won't survive the series."

"Why? What's in store for your characters?"

"We don't know-" Eron said.

Erika explained, "There's no point asking for plot details or hints from any of the cast because we really don't know anything. Wish-chan's completely in control of how the story goes. At the most we only know what's going to happen in the immediate future since we don't get our scripts till a week before we shoot the episode. Truthfully, the story is as much a mystery to the viewers as it is to us."

Eron's phone started to ring. Erika leaned over, looking at the screen. "Hey it's that girl from your class. Why's she calling you?"

"We're doing a group project together at school…" Eron picked up the phone and put it to his ear. "Hello? No, I'm on break right now. I—"

Curiously, Erika slid closer and stuck her ear to the back of the cellphone, trying to listen.

"Wait, hold on a minute." Eron's eyes flitted over. "Um, Erika… do you mind?"

With her ear still glued to the phone, Erika whispered, "Continue talking. Pretend I'm not here. I want to hear what she says."

Brow twitching in frustration, Eron stared at Erika for a few seconds. Then he flicked her on the forehead.

"Ow~" Reeling back, Erika rubbed her forehead as Eron quietly got up and walked out the room. "Hey, Eron! Wait! How dare you!" Erika waved her fist angrily in the air. Then she turned to the camera. "Did you see that? Take a good look – they make him out to be the perfect brother on TV, but that's his real face right there. Ugh, he makes me so mad!" Then she noticed that Eron had left his share of brownie on the table. Erika picked it up and started wolfing it down. "Well, he's not getting this, that's for sure." She held up two fingers to the camera and winked. "Victory!"

"I can't believe this!" Miho exclaimed.

"Are you telling me you already interviewed Sakura and Syaoran and they didn't mention _one instance _about Kai?!" Meilin asked in disbelief.

Miho and Meilin exchanged perplexed glances.

"Do you think they forgot?" Miho asked.

"Impossible!" Meilin shrieked. "Maybe they thought they were being noble, but this is plain foolishness."

"What do you mean?" The interviewer asked from off-camera. "What happened?"

Miho blinked her gray eyes at the camera. "Ne, Meilin-onee-chan, should we be the ones to tell them?"

Meilin flipped her hair back, "They're here to film a behind-the scenes, and you can't have a behind-the-scenes without mentioning Kai's whole fiasco, can you?"

"I guess not. All right, let's do it!" Miho exclaimed energetically.

"We'll give you all the juicy details." Meilin agreed. "Let me see.. it all began somewhere around the middle of Arc 3. At first it only started with a few complaints here and there – Kai was always saying how S+S were permanently star-crossed in New Trials and at the rate the show was going, they weren't likely to end up together before a thousand more episodes aired."

Miho continued the story, "We all agreed the lack of progress in S+S's relationship was frustrating, but it wasn't our place to say anything. Onii-chan, however, started pestering Wish-chan to hook them up together fast. And he accompanied the advice with these really cheesy, over the top ideas of how to get their relationship rolling."

"Wish-chan was very professional about the whole thing though." Meilin explained. "We only ever heard a few rumours of things that Kai had suggested. But then one idea was such a hit, it was actually accepted!"

"Remember the Christmas presents Sakura and Syaoran exchanged in Arc 3?" Miho asked. "Those matching watches in the flower and leaf design? Supposedly, they were one of onii-chan's ideas." Miho rolled her eyes.

"Of course, I heard that the original idea was actually a pair of matching Ferrari's…" Meilin added in doubtfully. "But that idea was stamped out instantly – I mean, come on, Sakura and Syaoran are supposed to be underage and they don't even drive!"

"And then Onii-chan toned his idea down, and this time it was actually something good." Miho turned to Meilin. "Right? Wasn't there a whole lot of fuss about those watches? Fans demanded for them to be designed and marketed, they were ready to pay through the nose for them…"

"Yeah." Meilin agreed. "But I still wonder what was going on in Wish-chan's head at the time. Did she accept the idea because it was truly a good one, or just to humour Kai and get him to back off? Maybe a little bit of both."

"Well whatever the reason, we can only be sure of one thing." Miho looked around as if checking that Kai wasn't anywhere near. "It gave Onii-chan the biggest head imaginable. He was over the moon with the fact that Wish-chan had accepted his idea, had actually used it in New Trials. And one thing leading to another, let's just say Onii-chan formed a much bigger opinion of himself than was necessary. "

Meilin wrinkled her nose. "I still can't get over him prancing around the sets as if he owned the place constantly singing 'Wish-chan loves me, she loves me, loves me, loves me!' in this horrible singsong voice. You haven't heard Kai singing, but let's just say…. he can't carry a tune to save his life."

Miho tapped her finger on her chin thoughtfully. "And then, if I recall correctly, the real problems started happening….

/Pre-recorded clip 3 start/

"It's just a simple, conversation on the bus," the director explained to Sakura and Syaoran as they read through their scripts.

"Right, it's simple enough." Sakura stated, smiling happily. The makeup artist came over to touch up her makeup. They, along with the camera crew, were currently aboard a moving bus, which was driving round and round the same street.

"Okay, places everyone!" the director hollered. "Lights, roll sound, and ACTION!"

Syaoran and Sakura were sitting side by side on the bus. Syaoran opened the window a little bit to let some fresh air come in.

Sakura spoke her lines, "Anyway, where are you always off to these days, after school? You're always in a rush."

"I'm just busy," Syaoran replied vaguely.

"You're always busy." Sakura said, taking off her gloves. "I've hardly seen you in school for the past week. I don't see you at lunch, either. Where do you eat?"

"In the cafeteria."

Sakura looked up earnestly. "Syaoran? This may sound odd, but is there something you want to tell me?"

"Well, yes. Actually. There is." Syaoran looked at her steadily. He paused. "I wanted to let you know that I am madly in love with you."

"Hoe?"

"CUT!" The director roared. "What the hell was that?!"

"What happened?" Sakura asked innocently, "We're doing exactly what the script says!"

The director marched over and demanded to see the scripts. He stared at the pages for a few seconds. "Hmmmm…"

"Well?" Syaoran asked. "What did we do wrong?"

The director conceded, "It appears there are some typos here. No matter, we'll fix it up right away." He shoved the papers at his assistant. "Hurry up and get the proper dialogue in." Confused, he looked around the bus. From near the front, a spiky head and a pair of sunglasses that were peeking over the back of a seat quickly ducked down.

/Pre-recorded clip 3 end/

Meilin and Miho were both shaking their head sadly. "Nobody could figure out what was going on in the beginning. And then a string of similar incidents followed soon after. Even though the scriptwriters and directors checked and rechecked Sakura and Syaoran's scenes and dialogues, at the end moment they would end up… not quite the same. Poor Sakura and Syaoran. They would end up so frustrated each time something like that happened. It was driving them insane, having to do their scenes over and over, and becoming the laughing stock. But it was just a matter of time though. People were bound to find out soon enough."

/Pre-recorded clip 4 start/

La Seine bustled with people ready for an evening restaurant shot. Diners took their places at different tables and waiters bustled around, carrying trays of drinks and food.

"Lights, camera, ACTION!" the director called from the side.

The camera was focused on one table in particular where Fujitaka-sensei, Touya, Sakura and Tomoyo were having a meal.

"Mmmm… the food here is scrumptious!"declared Tomoyo.

Sakura chewed on her stir-fry. "Strange, this tastes really familiar."

Fujitaka observed his plate with fascination. "Amazing how the different vegetables are all the same width and size."

Yukito walked out of the kitchen carrying a gorgeous whole chiffon cake with fluffy white icing, and a fantastic design of cherry blossoms curling out on the round face of the cake. As the cake was carried out from the kitchen, quite a few heads turned. "Here you go," Yukito, smiled, placing the cake at Sakura's table.

"Did we order this?" Sakura asked, eyes widening.

"With the compliments of your chef tonight!" Yukito replied.

They all blinked at the cake in surprise. For in artistic cursive icing on the cake were the words, "To My Darling Sakura"

Sakura's eyebrows twitched in irritation and she said stiltedly "Your boss must really like you, onii-chan."

"But the cake is meant for Sakura-san," Fujitaka mused, perplexed.

"CUT!" The director ordered. There was complete silence on the set, as everyone stared at the cake. Rounding on everyone, the director exclaimed, "Enough of these antics! I demand to know the truth! Who did this?"

"Why?" wailed Sakura. "This has got to be the fifteenth time this month!"

The director shook his fist. "We're getting to the bottom of this today! Shooting will not resume until the culprit is caught."

"Yeah, did you hear that?" Kai, who was standing amidst the crew shouted at everyone. "Shooting will not resume until the culprit is caught. So 'fess up, who's behind this lousy prank?"

However, there was a murmur around the restaurant. Everyone was eyeing the pink icing smeared on Kai's cheek. Too late, he realized what was wrong and tried to hide the piping bag he was holding. "Uh oh…"

"Kai-kun?" Sakura said in disbelief. "It's been you the whole time?"

Syaoran walked forward from the side, "You!" Grabbing Kai's collar, he growled, "Do you know how much trouble you've been causing us!"

"Why would you do such a thing?" Sakura demanded, nearly in tears.

"I… I.. didn't…" Kai panicked, turning pale. Syaoran nearly threw him a punch before he released his collar and stood up straight. "Okay, fine! I accept it. It was me from the start."

"Mizuki Kai! How dare you!" The director raged, his face red.

Sakura had started crying. "Why would you?"

"Oh come on," Kai reasoned. "At the rate we're going we'll all be twenty years older before there's any progress in Sakura and Syaoran's relationship."

"So? It's Wish-chan's story, it's not our place to interfere." Sakura replied.

"Well I thought someone needs to do something." Kai continued.

"What for? We have an amazing storyline going on already." Syaoran said.

"Yeah," Kai agreed. "But we need to spice it up. We're already nearly at the end of the third Arc and nothing's been going on! Fans will turn to other shows, frustrated. They'll start cheering on new OTPs."

"Who cares about other shows? We're the best already." The director shook Kai.

"I think this is about something else though…" Tomoyo murmured.

"MIZUKI KAI!" Meilin's voice echoed throughout the set. An angry Meilin bounded in, hands on hips, "Is what I heard right? You've been the one messing up the scripts?" She started pounding him on the head and Kai cowered under Meilin's fury. "Don't you have any shame? And you call yourself a professional actor?"

"Ow.. Ow… ow.. Meilin, listen to me," Kai whimpered weakly, arms covering his head.

"You can't possibly have any excuse that would justify this!"

"But I do.." Kai straightened up, sniffing, his nose red. "Mei-chan, I did it all for you!"

Meilin's jaw hit the floor. "Are you an idiot?"

"Don't you see?" Kai pleaded. "If those two don't end up, we don't end up! I want us to be the best OTP of New Trials! Think of our fans! They deserve to see us together. If Sakura and Syaoran don't hook up, you would end up with Syaoran, I can't let that happen. What I did was only for everyone's good."

Meilin smacked her forehead and turned away, "I don't believe this!" She started walking away. "I'm going to go call Wish-chan. She needs to find out what's been going on."

"W-w-w-w-Wish-chan?" Kai squeaked. "Noo~ don't do that. You can't." He chased after her.

"Right, that's what we'll do." The director was nearly ripping out his hair by now. "We'll contact Wish-chan. She'll fix this mess up, I'm sure."

/Pre-recorded clip 4 end/

"And so that's what we did." Miho held her hands up helplessly. "We contacted Wish-chan."

"And told her everything," Meilin added. "I still remember how angry I was that day!"

"But then onii-chan wouldn't answer Wish-chan's phone calls or messages."

Meilin explained, "You see, the production house is in a different location. And the different sets are sprawled all around. So during that time Wish-chan couldn't find time to come down herself. She phoned the office hundreds of times asking to talk to Kai, but he'd always disappear at that moment."

"But the good thing was, at least onii-chan stopped messing around. And things returned to normal again. Everyone was relieved and thought the worst was over."

"Or so it seemed." Meilin scowled.

/Pre-recorded clip 5 start/

Dressed in a pale pink coat with a white fur collar, and black knee-high boots, Sakura waited for her cue, standing by the bustling Hong Kong harbourside.

"Ready the fog machines!" The director called. Instantly a white mist shrouded the area.

"ACTION!"

Trembling, Sakura stared across the street at the silhouette of a young man in a navy-blue trench coat, surrounded by four bodyguards. Her voice caught in her throat.

"Syaoran!" she called out over the honking of the cars. She ran across the street, avoiding the speeding cars – paying no heed to them as brakes screeched and drivers screamed out at her.

"Syaoran!" Sakura stepped onto the pavement, just several feet away from him. "Syaoran, listen to me! I have to talk to you!"

This time he heard her, for he came to a complete halt. He turned to face her, his face registering surprise. "Sakura?"

"Syaoran, I—"

In one swift movement, Syaoran knocked out the bodyguards and rushed towards Sakura, taking her hand in his. "Sakura, let's ditch this place, you and I, and run off together somewhere we can finally be together!"

Hand in hand, the two ran down the pavement.

"CUT CUT CUT!" The director roared.

Halting, catching their breaths, both Sakura and Syaoran turned bemused to the director. They didn't need to ask what was wrong. One look at the director's face and they understood.

"Hauuu… I'm getting sick of this." Tears streamed down Sakura's face. Syaoran heaved a heavy sigh.

"This is no time for jokes, Mizuki Kai!" The director screamed out. "This was only a rehearsal shoot, but early next morning Wish-chan herself is coming down to direct this crucial scene. We can't afford anything less than perfect! And someone bring me the original scripts, NOW!"

/Pre-recorded clip 5 end/

"I never felt sorrier for Sakura or Syaoran than at that moment." Meilin said, leaning back against the couch. "They only had a few hours to go over the correct scene, memorize their lines and get ready for the final shot."

"Remember, Meilin-nee-chan?" Miho turned to Meilin. "When they were handed the correct scripts, both Sakura and Syaoran were so shocked by what the original scene was supposed to be. I still remember them both sitting on that ledge for a long time, just watching the waves, really depressed."

"Yeah," Meilin sighed. "But they're not the protagonists for nothing. They stayed up all night rehearsing the scene. And when Wish-chan started filming the shoot next morning, they nailed it on the first take."

"And Kai?" The interviewer asked. "What happened regarding what he had done?"

Meilin and Miho both rolled their eyes. "Oh, he got what was coming to him, eventually."

"Meaning?"

"Let's see…" Meilin said thoughtfully. "It was just around the beginning of the fourth arc. Everyone was hanging around the set one day, I think we were all on lunch break at the time, because Kai had gone across the street to get some juice. And then…"

/Pre-recorded clip 6 start/

Laughing and joking amongst themselves, the cast casually sat around one of the rooms in the set, eating and sharing lunches, talking and relaxing.

"Aaaaaaah~" They all heard a scream from the entranceway. Kai came streaking into the room.

"What happened?" Several voices asked.

"Somebody help me!" Kai's face was sheet white. "W-w-w-w-w-Wish-chan's here herself. I just saw her car pull into the driveway. What do I do? Someone hide me! Quick!"

The rest of the cast members averted their eyes, and continued eating their lunch as if there had been no interruption.

"Syaoran! Buddy!" Kai implored, wringing his hands. "Bail me out of this!"

Syaoran chewed unconcerned, eyes closed. "Mm, this fried shrimp is delectable."

"Sakura-chan!" Kai pleaded.

Sakura looked away. "Go away Kai-kun, I have nothing left to say to you."

Eyes wide, Kai stared in shock. They all heard the front door open. Losing his head, Kai ran screaming through a pair of double doors into the nearest room. It was a room set up as a hospital room with all relevant equipment, for shooting hospital scenes. Kai looked around the stark white room in panic, and then finding no place to hide, he dived into bed under the white sheets, pulling them over his head. Then he lay stock-still, heart pounding, awaiting judgement.

He could hear footsteps outside the door. A murmur of voices. More footsteps. Then silence.

What was going on? He heard the door swing open.

Meilin walked in, and watched the prone figure on the bed covered with a white sheet.

"Wish-chan saw you through the round windows on the door. She said it's a good thing you're practicing diligently for your parting shot."

Kai sat up with a jolt, the sheet falling off his face. "P-p-parting shot?"

Expression hard, Meilin nodded. "Wish-chan has decided that in the next few episodes Mizuki Kai is not going to survive the surgery to remove the bullet. There'll be a few complications, he will lose too much blood and they won't be able to find a matching donor because of a rare blood type."

Wordless, Kai stared, as slowly the words registered.

"But," Kai swallowed, trying to get the words out. "My fans, my fanclub, my newest Kaitou Magician action figure about to be released next month! I won first place in the online popularity polls, for crying out loud! And you're saying that MIZUKI KAI WILL NOT SURVIVE?"

Meilin shrugged.

Kai leapt out of bed, "Where is Wish-chan? I have to talk to her, to apologize!"

"Probably on her way out by now."

Skidding across the floor, Kai ran out the door, "WAIT! Wish-sama!"

/Pre-recorded clip 6 end/

Occasionally breaking into fits of giggles, Meilin and Miho tried to continue the story.

"It was quite a scene." Meilin wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes. "There he was, the great Kaitou Magician, groveling on the floor, rivers of tears pouring out of his eyes, clinging onto Wish-chan's legs as if he was asking for a reprieve from a hanging."

"Actually, he was just crying like a big baby," Miho added.

"After that, for a whole week, Kai daily sent Wish-chan a hundred red roses as apology. Her entire office was filled with flowers. It smelled heavenly. You can still catch a lingering smell of roses if you go in there."

"In the end, Onii-chan was forgiven; though he got cleaning duty of the set for four months afterwards. But at least he stopped messing with the scenes."

Meilin nodded happily, "And Sakura and Syaoran were greatly relieved of the stress they had been going through."

There was a snuffling sound from the corner. "Sniff…. Such a touching, endearing story."

Sweatdropping, their faces turning blue, Meilin and Miho looked towards the door. The camera panned and now Kai could be seen, standing in the doorway, wiping pretend tears.

"K-Kai!"

"Konnichiwa~" Kai smiled sunnily, perfectly unruffled. He proceeded to seat himself between Miho and Meilin on the couch and wrapped an arm around both. "Ne~ are my dear friends ratting me out?"

"Who's your dear friend?" Meilin scowled. "And don't you have any shame, showing your face to the public?"

"Nope," Kai grinned, his sunglasses glimmering. "I like to let my fans know the amount of dedication the great Kaitou-sama puts into all his work."

"Told you he's a nutcase," Miho whispered to the camera.

"So, are you going to continue the story, or should I?" Kai asked sweetly.

"The story's finished," Meilin stated flatly.

Kai looked horrified, "You mean you're not going to tell them about the happy ending?"

"What happy ending?"

"The scene where Wish-chan finally rewards my efforts after she saw how deeply sorry I was. Where all those months of scrubbing the floor finally came through!"

Meilin's eyes were dots, "Which scene?"

Clutching his heart in pain, Kai groaned in agony. "How can you be so cruel? I'm talking about the airport scene, where my beautiful, gorgeous Mei-chan runs through the terminal calling for me, and we have a happy confession scene at last!"

"That was Wish-chan's reward?" Miho asked cluelessly.

"Of course!" Kai nodded with extra vigour. "She loves me after all!"

Meilin just sighed. "Think what you want to."

Hand on chin, Miho stated, "But Onii-chan, you still messed up that one scene again in Arc 4."

"Right," Meilin clapped her hands. To the camera she said, "It was that scene where everyone attends the Young Designer Contest after-party at the Hoshi Plaza Hotel. Sakura and Syaoran had a scene where they talk outside next to a fountain in the gardens. I think it was a situation where mafia were stationed throughout the location." Then she narrowed her eyes, "But Kai went and snuck in another cheesy "I love you" dialogue in the middle of that conversation."

"Can you blame me if I had a relapse?" Kai adjusted his sunglasses. "Sakura was ending up with Eron. Did you expect me to just stand and watch?"

"The directors immediately notified Wish-chan of Kai's antics flaring up again, and since she loves him so much, she gave him the perfect reward," Meilin had an evil smile.

Kai looked the other way, "Hmph."

"In the next few episodes, Meilin-nee-chan catches Kara kissing onii-chan, and she nearly breaks up with him," Miho giggled.

Kai sighed and lowered his head, depressed. "I just want to end up with my Mei-chan. Is that too much to ask?"

"Stop trying to change the story then!" Meilin accused, hands on hips.

Kai blinked prettily, "But aren't you worried? What if we don't end up together? What if Wish-chan decides to kill us off?"

"Nah, I'm counting on a happy ending."

Kai shook Meilin by the arm, "But what if Wish-chan thinks a happy ending would be you running off with, say, Eriol?"

Miho and Meilin exchanged amused smiles. Miho clapped Kai on the back. "Don't worry, then we'll just have to deal with it. Is it that bad, onii-chan? I think Eriol would be perfect for Meilin-onee-chan."

"You guys just love to torture me." Kai sniffed as Meilin clutched her stomach, laughing.

"Hmm.. that's a tough question." Leiyun fingered the microphone, thinking. "Jin, help me out here. What do I think's going to happen next?"

Jinyu, sitting next to Leiyun was too wrapped up in reading the script to hear.

"And what do I think Leiyun's real motives are? How am I supposed to know?"

Jinyu still didn't answer.

Leiyun leaned over, "What _are_ you reading so keenly?"

"I've got lines," Jinyu abruptly said.

"You mean you've got the usual monosyllable or the short sentence, right?" Leiyun took a look at the script. Jinyu had highlighted his lines and there were entire lengthy paragraphs highlighted in bright yellow. It went on for four or five pages.

"Woah, what's this?" Leiyun grabbed the script and flipped through the pages. "All these are your lines? There must be some mistake. Even in your audition, all you had to do was stand and glower. Is this some filler episode titled "Jinyu finds his tongue?" Who are all these lines with, anyway?"

"Erika."

Whistling, Leiyun clapped a hand on Jin's shoulder. "Way to go! Watch out for the scary onii-chan though."

Jinyu took the script back, "I'm scarier."

"I suppose Eron has lost his villain-y touch."

Jinyu looked doubtful. "I still can't believe they gave me all these lines. You don't think Kai tampered with my script, do you?"

Leiyun held the script up to the light as if trying to detect a forgery, "But why? What would he gain? Anyway, didn't he promise he wouldn't do those kind of pranks again?"

At this point, the rest of the cast members walked in. Shooting was over for the day, and they could finally give all their time to the interview. Everyone settled down on the various couches and chairs.

"Jinyu-san, we have lots of scenes together coming up soon" Erika said, flipping her hair back over her shoulder.

"It's one of Kai's tricks again." Jinyu replied.

"Hey~! I didn't do anything," Kai protested.

"Kai, I swear I'll kill you!" Meilin screeched in indignation.

Kai looked crestfallen. "No way, you've gotta believe me. I'm telling the truth this time."

Erika seemed confused, "Kai didn't do anything. Those are genuine scenes. The director was just giving me some pointers about them. Anyway, Jinyu-san, we'll have to rehearse together from tomorrow."

Kai had taken offense. "See! I can't believe you guys can suspect me over every tiny little thing that seems fishy around here."

Syaoran shook his head. "Well, we can't exactly call you trustworthy."

Tomoyo cleared her throat and smiled, "Anyway, what were the interviewers asking you, Leiyun-san?"

"What do I think's going to happen next," Leiyun looked around for inspiration. "And what do I think my character's motives truly are."

Sakura gave a sigh, "I want to know what Leiyun-san's motives really are as well. It's been a huge mystery."

"But none of us know anything about what's going to happen," Eron answered.

Blinking his aqua blue eyes, Leiyun said serenely, "As a matter of fact, I have a pretty good idea."

"What?" the rest chorused.

Leiyun gave a knowing smile. "My character's motives couldn't be clearer. I'm surprised none of you have caught on."

"What do you mean?" Miho asked.

Arms crossed, Leiyun explained, "Obviously only one motive drives Leiyun from the very beginning. And that is…" he paused for effect.

The rest of the cast were nearly hanging out of their chairs "That is?!"

"Leiyun's passion for Syaoran!" Leiyun dramatically placed his hand over his heart. "Don't you get it? Leiyun has been truly in love with Syaoran since the very beginning. That's why everything he does is for Syaoran's sake. And that is why Sakura is his number one rival – if he gets her out of the way, Syaoran can finally be his!"

"Hoeeeeeee!" Sakura clutched her face. "Really?!"

Leiyun nodded. "Hasn't Leiyun always had this unexplained hatred for Sakura? Didn't he try to wipe Syaoran's memories of her? When Sakura formed her alliance, Leiyun formed HIS alliance. It's because he wants to impress Syaoran by trying to imitate Sakura."

"No way, you've got a point there," Miho exclaimed in shock.

Emphatically nodding, Leiyun continued, "And that's just the beginning. Leiyun's on a mission to gain Syaoran's love or die trying. In the end, both of them will run off into the glorious sunset together, you mark my words!"

"Watch the ratings plummet when that happens," Kai rolled his eyes.

Leiyun beamed happily, "Nah, viewers will lap it up, you'll see."

Kai snapped his fingers, "Hey, wait a minute. So if Syaoran ends up with Leiyun, Meilin can't end up with Syaoran." Kai gave a whoop. "That means, Mei-chan's permanently mine! Why didn't I think of this sooner? Syaoran doesn't necessarily need to end up with Sakura, he could end up with ANYBODY and Mei-chan would still be mine. Ahhh~" Kai blushed happily.

"I don't know this person," Meilin sweatdropped, inching away from Kai.

Kai swung his arm around Meilin, pinning her to his side, "Ne, Mei-chan, will you also ship this new couple with me?"

"NEVER!" Meilin tried to wriggle free. "You're both out of your minds!"

Leiyun rose from his seat and kneeled in front of a heavily-sweatdropping Syaoran. "And then, in the upcoming episode, now that Leiyun thinks Sakura is out of the way, he will have his confession scene. He will raise his arm gallantly, thus, and start singing in a baritone voice, '_Do I love you because you're beautiful? Or are you beautiful, because I love you? Do I want you because you're wonderful? Or are you wonderful, because I want you?"_

"Hey, that's a pretty catchy tune," Kai swayed along. "What's it from?"

"It's from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella." Leiyun answered. "There are several versions, but personally my favourite is the 1965 one. Prince Charming sings this song to Cinderella after he dances with her at the ball."

"Suits the occasion, I'd say," Kai grinned.

Syaoran buried his face in his hands, groaning.

"What is wrong with these two people?" Eron demanded, pointing at Kai and Leiyun.

"You think anyone for a minute is going to believe that?" Erika scoffed.

Sakura seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Hoe, I never even imagined this was how it would end!"

"He's making it up," Syaoran tried to reassure, though he didn't look certain himself. "He doesn't know anything."

"But don't you see?" Sakura tugged at Syaoran's sleeve. "There's that Eriol-Kai-Syaoran triangle going on for a while, then Eron joined in, and now Leiyun too. Meilin. Me. I'm only just realizing it, but everyone in this story is in love with Syaoran! It's like there's no room for my character in the story at all."

Leiyun patted Sakura's head. "There, there, Sakura-chan. it must be heartbreaking to finally figure out your character is only supposed to be the third wheel in this complex love polygon. "

Tearing up, Sakura turned to Tomoyo. "Tomoyo-chan, is it true I'm just the third wheel?"

Tomoyo readily defended Sakura. "Of course not, Sakura-chan, you're the number one star in this series! But even if you are only a side character, I won't stop cheering you on or making costumes for you."

Sweatdropping, Sakura sighed. "I'm not sure that cheers me up."

Rubbing her back, Tomoyo continued. "Well, here's something to cheer us all up. Tomorrow's our 300th episode celebration! Everyone will be there, there won't be any shots to film and we'll have fun all day."

"Right!" Everyone exclaimed, enthusiastically. "Let's have fun tomorrow! Our 300th episode and we're still the number one series on television!"

The interviews were nearly over – enough interesting footage had been collected for the documentary. Finally wrapping up the next day, the camera located Tomoyo as she was adjusting ribbons to her hair in her dressing room for a few final comments.

"It's been a tremendous journey for all of us," Tomoyo spoke, resting her hands in her lap. "Though some of us sometimes do have the occasional argument or disagreement, the whole cast has invested so many years to this project, we're really like a big family."

There was a knock on the door and Sakura poked her head in. "Tomoyo-chan! Hurry up! The TV-Channel has sent this HUGE cake for the celebration. You've got to come see it."

"It's fifteen feet long!" Kai's voice came from outside. "Everyone gather around quick otherwise I'm eating the whole thing."

"Coming," Tomoyo smiled. She walked out the door and down the hall into the huge, wide area that was generally used to film the Reed mansion living room. The place had been transformed. There were decorations up everywhere, and nearly all the cast members – even those who played minor supporting roles, were there, plus the two-hundred member strong camera, lighting, sound and technical crew. Everyone talked, laughed and joked happily.

Tomoyo watched them peacefully for a while, and then spoke to the camera. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say, this series has been one of our most successful and enjoyable projects we've ever worked on or will ever work on again. This is the place where all us belong. I try not to think of the series ending, because I know I'll be very sad whenever that happens. But for a great story to be successful, it has to have proper closure, don't you agree?"

"Tomoyo-chan, hurry up," Miho appeared and tugging at her arm, pulled her into the crowd. Tomoyo gave a final wave to the camera and joined the rest of the cast.

"Everyone gather in the middle of the room, we'll take group photographs!" someone called out.

"Wait, where's Wish-chan? Isn't she coming?" another voice asked.

"She said she couldn't make it, she has an important meeting!"

"No way! We don't want to celebrate without her," many people cried out.

The hundreds of people in the room tried to assemble for a group photo – some sat on the floor, others on chairs, and those at the back stood on stools or tables until all the faces were visible. However some of the expressions were glum. What good was a party when the main guest wasn't there?

A flash went off as a picture was taken. But something was lacking from the joyous atmosphere.

"All right, I'm rolling the camera!" a technician adjusted the equipment. "Recording's about to start!"

Suddenly, the guardman from the front gate rushed in. "Wish-chan's arrived! She made it after all!"

At once there were cheers and the expressions brightened. The cast and crew posed together once more as another flash went off.

"Video's starting!" The technician called from the front. "Say something for the camera."

From the entranceway footsteps could be heard as the person everyone had been waiting for entered. The vast number of cast and crew members turned towards the door and all together chorused loudly,

"WE LOVE YOU, WISH-CHAN!"

~*END~*


End file.
